1. Field
The present invention generally relates to wireless telecommunications and computer networks. More specifically, the present invention relates to a system and method for providing an infrastructure for service providers to deliver services to a subscriber having multiple wireless communications devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Technology advancement has made mobile telephones, or wireless communications devices, cheap and affordable by almost everyone. It is not uncommon for a family to own several wireless communications devices, one for each family member. Wireless service providers have also made it easier for plurality of wireless communications devices to bill to a single subscription account. Some wireless service providers allow different wireless communications devices to share a time allotment assigned to a single user account. For example, a user can sign up for a plan that allows 500 minutes of airtime and have this 500 minutes shared by different wireless communications devices used by the family members.
In the above situation, multiple wireless communications devices used by different family members do not compete for the 500 minutes time allotment. Instead, the wireless service provider records airtime used by each wireless communications device and totals the time used by all the wireless communications devices in the same user account. The total time is then compared with the 500 minutes time allotment. There is no limitation on the amount of time that each individual wireless communications device can be used.
However, the situation changes when the wireless service provider charges a monthly subscription fee or an access fee per user per wireless device application. For certain applications, the wireless service providers may require a fixed subscription fee per wireless communications device, and a user needs to subscribe to the application and pay a monthly subscription fee before being allowed to access the application from the wireless communications device. But, paying a subscription fee per wireless communications device becomes expensive if the user wants to access the same application through different wireless communications devices, as in the situation of a family having several wireless communications devices. Paying a subscription fee per wireless communications device also becomes expensive if the user wants to make the application, such as a wireless web-based yellow page service, that is usually accessed sporadically, to all family members. It is unlikely all family members will access the wireless web-based yellow page service simultaneously, thus, paying a subscription fee per wireless communications device becomes economically disadvantageous for the user.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide a system and method that allows wireless service providers to grant access to an application from any wireless communications devices registered in a user account. It is thus to such a system and method that the present invention is primarily directed.